Meeting 3 Equivalence in Translation

Main ideas / concepts taught

Translation equivalence

• Equivalence in translation is the relationship between the source text (ST) and the target text (TT) such that they convey the same meaning (i.e., “equality”), even if the wording differs.
• A translator should not translate by simply replacing ST words with dictionary meanings.
• Instead, the translator must choose target-language expressions that produce the same effect and meaning in the target language.

Equivalence as a theory/topic (multiple scholars’ views)

The video presents a “mindmap” of scholars and how they define equivalence at different levels/types:

• Catford (1965)
  • Focuses on linguistic/textual equivalence, involving aligning ST and TT language material so that they match in the relevant way.
• Nida & Taber (1969): formal vs. dynamic equivalence
  • Formal equivalence: emphasizes form and content.
  • Dynamic equivalence: emphasizes effect/response.
  • “Equivalent” translation should satisfy both:
    • form/content alignment, and
    • effect/response alignment.
• Baker (the subtitles/context indicate Baker)
  • Equivalence at different levels, including:
    • word-level
    • grammatical
    • textual
    • pragmatic
• Julian House
  • Functional equivalence
  • Equivalence exists when the communicative function and pragmatics are maintained across languages (a more holistic approach).

Equivalence depends on different “units/levels” in language

• Equivalence can be analyzed across different linguistic levels.
• The video previews that:
  • this meeting focuses on word/phrase/clause/sentence levels, and
  • the next meeting will address other aspects separately (including discussion that contrasts word level vs sentence level).

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Method / framework-style instructions (as presented)

Principle for translation

• Do not translate by dictionary substitution only.
• Instead:
  1. Identify the meaning in the ST.
  2. Select target-language wording that provides the same meaning/effect.
  3. Ensure alignment in the relevant way for the chosen framework (e.g., form/content and/or pragmatics/communicative function).

Practice guidance during the exercise

• Translate using the target equivalent structures shown in the examples.
• Practice in groups.
• Avoid using Google Translate / machine translation during post-editing or translation work from the beginning.
• If searching terms:
  • use Google to find glossaries/common terms, not auto-translation results.

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Detailed equivalence by linguistic level (with examples)

1) Word level

• Definition
  • A single lexical item is translated with the closest equivalent in the target language.
• Key issues mentioned
  • Direct equivalency vs non-equivalency
  • Common approaches/phenomena:
    • paraphrasing
    • borrowing
    • polysemy
    • contextual meaning
• Examples mentioned (illustrative)
  • “book” with different meanings (e.g., privacy/personal secrets)
  • “bank” mapping to different meanings (e.g., river bank vs. bank institution)
  • “cliff” referencing a specific meaning in context
  • “rice field” translated based on contextual meaning

2) Phrase level

• Definition
  • A phrase is a group of words (not a complete sentence) functioning as a unit.
• Types mentioned
  • noun phrases, adjective phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, etc.
• Examples
  • “a glass of water”
  • “a glass of water” / “makes progress” (used to illustrate phrase/function as a unit)
  • “on the table, full of hope” (treated as phrase-level structure)

3) Clause level

• Definition
  • A clause is a group of words with a subject + predicate, containing a verb.
  • Can be independent or dependent.
  • Includes mentions of:
    • relative clauses (independent/dependent)
    • conjunctions
    • word order
    • explicit vs. implicit subjects
• Examples
  • “I know that he is honest.”
  • “The book that I bought yesterday.”
  • “Although it was late, it kept working.” / “Even though it was late, he still worked.” (dependent clause + main clause)

4) Sentence level

• Definition
  • A complete unit of meaning, which may contain one or more clauses.
• Sentence types mentioned
  • simple
  • complex
  • compound
  • compound-complex
  • restructuring / “long sentence” (long-winded)
• Examples shown
  • Basic patterns:
    • “The child is playing.”
    • “She cooked dinner and washed the dishes.” (compound idea)
    • “He cooks dinner and he washes the dishes.”
  • Longer multi-clause examples:
    • “Although it was raining, she went out and she took her umbrella.”
    • “Even though it was raining, he still went out and he said sorry.”

5) Translation practice examples (highlighting unit boundaries)

• “Yesterday morning” (treated as a unit phrase)
• “I saw a beautiful old house.”
  • Suggested interpretation: “This old house is a beautiful old house.”
• “A small garden full of flowers.”
• “A large wooden table.”
• “Take a short nap.”
• “Reading books in the corner.”
  • Suggested: “reading a book in a quiet corner of the room.”
• “I met a teacher English at university.”
  • Handled as compound/clause discussion in the video

The video emphasizes not to force unrelated units into one structure (e.g., “crowded later” is noted as not good if combined improperly).

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Main lesson (takeaway)

• Good translation equivalence prioritizes meaning, function, and effect, not word-for-word dictionary substitution.
• Translators must consider equivalence at different linguistic levels (word, phrase, clause, sentence) and align with relevant scholarly frameworks (e.g., linguistic/textual, formal/dynamic, functional/pragmatic).

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Speakers / sources featured

• Miss Lily Istiqomah (video instructor/presenter)
• Catford (1965)
• Nida & Taber (1969)
• Becker / Baker
  • The subtitles say “Becker,” but the “according to Baker” line is present; the video associates this scholar with equivalence at different levels.
• Julian House (functional equivalence)